Learn Hardcore French: Elle commande une boisson froide pour son mari.

In this sentence, commander means “to place an order” (e.g., in a restaurant or online). If you mean “to give orders to someone,” French typically uses ordonner (à quelqu’un). So:

Elle commande une boisson. = She orders a drink.
Elle ordonne à ses employés. = She gives orders to her employees.

Other verbs you’ll hear when ordering:

prendre (very common with customers): Je vais prendre un café.
demander (to ask for): Elle demande un verre d’eau. (everyday speech; broader than just “ordering”)
acheter (to buy): Elle achète une boisson. (focus on the purchase, not on placing an order)

Is the tense here “She orders” or “She is ordering”?

French simple present covers both. Elle commande can mean either “She orders” (habitual) or “She is ordering” (right now). If you want to stress the ongoing nature: Elle est en train de commander…

Why is it une boisson and not un?

Because boisson is a feminine noun. Feminine singular uses une. Plural would be des boissons.

Why does the adjective froide come after boisson?

Most descriptive adjectives in French follow the noun. Froid/froide is not one of the common before-the-noun adjectives, so you say une boisson froide, not “une froide boisson” (the latter sounds poetic or marked).

Why is it froide with an -e?

Adjectives agree with the noun they describe. Boisson is feminine singular, so froid becomes froide. Plural would be des boissons froides. Note pronunciation: the final -d in masculine froid is silent, but in feminine froide the -d is heard.

Does son mari mean “her husband” or “his husband”?

It can mean either; French possessives agree with the thing possessed, not the possessor’s gender. Mari is masculine, so you must use son. Context tells you whether it’s “her” or “his.” Similarly: sa femme = his wife or her wife (context decides).

Could I say pour sa mari since the subject is a woman?

No. Son/sa/ses matches the gender/number of the noun possessed. Since mari is masculine singular, it must be son mari, regardless of the owner’s gender. (Extra tip: before a feminine noun starting with a vowel, French uses son to ease pronunciation, e.g., son amie for “his/her (female) friend.”)

Why use pour and not à: what’s the difference?

pour marks the beneficiary: Elle commande une boisson froide pour son mari. = She orders a cold drink for her husband.
commander … à quelqu’un typically means “to order something from someone” (a supplier/server) or “to give orders to someone”:
- Elle commande une boisson au serveur. = She orders a drink from the waiter.
- Elle commande à son équipe. = She commands her team.
  Saying Elle commande une boisson à son mari would more likely mean she orders a drink from her husband (as if he’s the one serving), which is not the intended meaning here.

Could I replace pour son mari with a pronoun?

You can, but be careful with ambiguity. Elle lui commande une boisson froide can mean “She orders him a cold drink” (for his benefit) or “She orders a cold drink from him.” In practice, context helps, but many speakers prefer pour lui to avoid ambiguity: Elle commande une boisson froide pour lui.

Is boisson froide the most natural way to say “a cold drink”?

It’s perfectly correct, but in many contexts French favors boisson fraîche (“refreshing/chilled drink”). You’ll often see signs that say Boissons fraîches. Both are fine; froide is literal temperature, fraîche is the idiomatic collocation.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Elle: “ell.”
commande: roughly “koh-MOND(uh)” (final -e is very light or silent).
boisson: “bwa-SON” with a nasal ending (the final “n” isn’t fully pronounced).
froide: “frw-ad” (oi = “wa”; final -d is pronounced in froide).
mari: “ma-ree” (French r is guttural).
Spelling note: boisson has double s to keep the “s” sound; with one s (boison) it would sound like a “z.”

Could the word order be Elle commande pour son mari une boisson froide?

Grammatically possible but marked. The neutral order is object first, then the beneficiary: Elle commande une boisson froide pour son mari.

Can I use the plural if she orders more than one?

Yes: Elle commande des boissons froides pour son mari. Note both the noun and adjective are plural: boissons froides.

Why not use a partitive like “some drink” (e.g., de la boisson)?

When you mean “a serving of a drink,” French treats it as a countable item: une boisson. De la boisson is uncommon in this context and can even suggest “alcohol” generically in some registers. If you want something vague: quelque chose de froid à boire (“something cold to drink”).

How is commander conjugated in the present?

je commande
tu commandes
il/elle commande
nous commandons
vous commandez
ils/elles commandent
In the sentence, Elle commande is 3rd person singular.